NCAI Leadership

NCAI members elect the organization’s Executive Committee - the NCAI President, 1st Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer. These are elected by the entire membership. The 12 Regional Vice Presidents are elected by their respective regions. All board members serve for two-year terms. The current President of NCAI is Brian Cladoosby (Swinomish Indian Tribal Community), serving in his second term.

President, Brian Cladoosby

NCAI President,
Brian Cladoosby

Brian Cladoosby serves as the 21st President of NCAI. In October 2015 at NCAI’s 72nd Annual Convention he was elected to serve his second term as President of the organization. He is currently the President of the Association of Washington Tribes and has previously served as an Area Vice President on the NCAI Board.

Executive Director, Jacqueline Pata

NCAI Executive Director, Jacqueline Pata

Jacqueline Pata is in her tenth year as the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), She is a member of the Raven/Sockeye Clan of the Tlingit Tribe (pronounced – Kling-get) and a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Mrs. Pata served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the Clinton Administration.